Global Courant
WASHINGTON, DC —
More than four dozen immigrant rights groups sent a letter to California Atty on Wednesday. General Rob Bonta, who urged him to help 36 migrants flown to Sacramento by contractors from Florida obtain visas to stay in the US
The news comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he had sent a busload of migrants to Los Angeles, saying in a press release that “border towns remain overwhelmed.” The 42 migrants, including eight children, arrived at Union Station on Wednesday afternoon. Leaders of Texas and Arizona have moved thousands of migrants to Democratic strongholds since last year.
Bonta demanded records on Wednesday from Florida authorities who could shed light on the decisions that led to the transportation of those migrants, in what he has called a manipulative political stunt. The Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the transportation and evaluating possible criminal or civil action if it is determined that the tour organizers misled migrants or violated anti-kidnapping laws.
“We need to understand the circumstances that led to the execution of this operation — which was apparently paid for with Florida taxpayer dollars — and the decisions and directives that led to this questionable act,” Bonta said in a statement. “The information gathered will be crucial in determining whether the law has been broken and, if so, what follow-up steps are needed to prevent such disregard for human rights from happening again.”
On June 2 and 5, two groups of migrants from Venezuela and Colombia were expelled from El Paso, Texas, to New Mexico and then flown to Sacramento. Those who arrived on June 2 were left at the door of the Catholic diocese with documents from Florida’s Voluntary Migrant Transport Program. Florida officials rejected allegations that migrants were being deceived or transported against their will.
Vertol Systems Co, the contractor facilitating the transportation, also coordinated similar flights for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who brought dozens of Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, last year.
The migrants who flew to Sacramento told officials they had been promised someone would help them find work. In the Catholic diocese, two men said they would return, but they drove off, leaving the migrants behind, Bonta said.
Migrants recruited for the trip but didn’t go told The Times that the contractors pushed aggressively. A woman said the contractor told her the immigration court date would be changed if she agreed to go to LA
Bonta sent two public record requests to DeSantis’ office for communications, instructions and documents between Florida officials and private entities involved in the shipments, including bids submitted in response to a request for a proposal dated Aug. May was published by Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. for a migrant transport programme.
California Governor Gavin Newsom argued with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, telling him, “I sat down with these migrants. I spoke to each of them. They were lied to. They have been misled.”
The California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, which has provided legal assistance to the migrants flown into Sacramento, was one of the main signatories asking Bonta to provide migrants who cooperated with his research with a certificate of eligibility to apply of a U visa.
The status was designated by Congress to encourage immigrant victims to report serious crimes and cooperate with law enforcement. Applicants are backlogged for years, but certain applicants can get eviction protection and work permits while they wait.
Kidnapping and human trafficking are among the crimes eligible for a U visa. Bonta’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.
“These individuals are not only a problem that has been forced upon us, but they are also victims of misconduct,” said Marcus Tang, CRLAF Citizenship and Immigration Project Leader. “They are at the center of this massive political debate and it is not fair to them that this has happened. They deserve dignity and protection.”
Tang said it is not guaranteed that all affected migrants will apply for or receive a U visa. Some may also be eligible for asylum, he said, and limited legal resources make it difficult to pursue multiple options. But earning certification at least gives them the opportunity, he said — and gives state leaders the chance to provide humanitarian aid.
Bonta wouldn’t be the first to offer such a benefit. After 49 migrants were flown into Martha’s Vineyard last September, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas signed U visa certifications for everyone.
